The LA Chargers are definitively a better football team than the Chiefs

The LA Chargers are not in action in Week 7 but the team's stock is still on its way up, at least in the AFC West. The rest of the AFC West is playing and most notably, the Kansas City Chiefs have lost.

The Chiefs were on the road against the Tennessee Titans and they didn't just lose; they got shelled. The offense could not get anything going as Patrick Mahomes continued to struggle with turnover issues. The defense kept this game from being as ugly as it could have been but the KC defense still isn't great.

The Chargers already have a win over the Chiefs and had a better record than the Chiefs heading into Week 7. And while we feel great about the Bolts, the Chiefs still get the respect of being the best team in the league over the last three seasons.

Not anymore. After the Week 7 showing from the Kansas City Chiefs we can definitively say that the LA Chargers are a better football team. Does that guarantee that the Chargers will win the AFC West? No, they still need to execute. However, the ball is absolutely in the Chargers' court.

Why the LA Chargers are definitively the best team in the AFC West:

Before we dive into the reasoning, this has nothing to do with a potential Patrick Mahomes injury. The Mahomes injury occurred as this article was being written and that is nothing to root for. This article is written under the impression that Mahomes makes a full recovery from the scary hit he took. It looks like it was probably just a stinger, but our best wishes are out to Mahomes.

When you compare the two teams, though, it is clear the Chargers have the advantage. Defensively, both teams have holes but the LA Chargers have more playmakers and do not have as many holes. The Bolts struggle against the run but so do the Chiefs, who also struggle against the pass. LA also has the two best defensive players for either team: Joey Bosa and Derwin James.

The gap offensively is not that large anymore, especially if Patrick Mahomes is turning the ball over as much as he is. Mahomes absolutely gets the benefit of the doubt on the quarterback rankings but Justin Herbert is playing better football.

Yes, Mahomes has more touchdown passes and the Chiefs have a lot of first downs. It doesn't matter if you are guaranteed to turn the ball over once a game (and that is a good game for the Chiefs). Mahomes turned the ball over three times in Week 7, increasing his season total to 12 turnovers in seven games.

Chiefs fans can make all the excuses they want about bad-luck turnovers and dropped passes. At some point, it becomes a legitimate trend and it has for Mahomes. I would much rather take the way Justin Herbert is playing this season than I would Patrick Mahomes.

The LA Chargers can more than keep up with the Chiefs offensively and are not as exposed defensively. Throw in the turnover problems for Kansas City and it really seems like a no-brainer: the LA Chargers are a better football team.

The Chargers now have a 1.5-game advantage over the Chiefs, who at the absolute best can finish 13-4 this season. That is a very doable record for the Bolts after the 4-2 start with an easier schedule upcoming.